Bridging device for railway-crossings.



6.1. GIANNACOPOU'LOS. BRIDGING DEVICE FOR RAILWAY cRosslNGs.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I9, 1917.

Patented Mar. 19, 1918,

erro. l

GEORGE J'. GIANNAGOPAOULOS, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANA.

BRIDGING DEVICE FR RAILWAY-CROSSINGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented `Mar. 19, 19518.

Application led- October 19, 19.17. Serial No, 197,433.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, Groen J. Gianna ooroULos, a subjectof the King of Greece, who has procured preliminary naturalization papers of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, county 0f Allegheny, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Bridging Devices for Railway-Crossings, ot' which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to caractuated bridging devices for railway crossings.

lvly'invention relates to that general class of bridging devices used at railway crossings ttor the purpose of automatically closing or bridging the slot or space between the rail ends, when a car goes over the crossing, the purpose being to afford a continuous lrail, as it were, on which the wheelsv will travel and thereby avoid the shock and noise incident te passage of the wheels over the open space.

My invention contemplates the provision of a spring-retracted bridging member, a de.- pressible abutment carried thereby again-st which the ear wheel abuts so that the bridgingmember will be automatically shiftedr as the carl goes over the crossing, and improved latching means for-the abutment.,l

A further object is the provision in a d6..- vice of the character set forth, of improved means whereby the bridging member may be manually set to bridge the space between the rail ends when a car is backing towardv the crossing.

vThe embodiments ot the invention which are hereinafter set forth and shown in the accompanying drawings, are to be considered as merely illustrative otthe invention and not in limitation of its scope, as modications be resorted to.

1n the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a part of a railway crossing equipped with my improvements.

Fig. 2 is a detail longitudinal section of the invention taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. 0

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a detail side view of the brldgmg member.

Fig. 6 is a detail ot the abutment, and

Fig. 7 is a detail of the latching device.

The ends of one rail of a crossing are shown at 1 and those of the other part at 2.

At each of the four points where the rails cross, at a crossing, there would be provided an arrangement such as shown in Fig. 1 so that the rail ends will be bridged regardless of which track is used and the direction of travel. Suitable castingsl may be used where the rails cross or, the rail ends themselves may bev formed with concavitiesl and slots` to ac,- coinmodate the present improvement. Sliding member 4 which may be provided with a roller 5 to lessen friction. The bridging member 4 is retracted by suitable springs; 6 which may be secured by a bolt 7 and a plated and contained within a cavity 5a, the latter having a suitable cover 9 which may be opened to give access to the cavity 5a. Ally Ysuitable bufer spring 10, contained with the cavity 5a, serves to vcushion the return of the bridging member when it has been retracted by the springs 6 after its release from actuation by the car.

Slidable vertically in the bridging meniber 4 is an abutment 11 which is V'preterably able in a cavity 3 in the rail end Visfa bridgprovided with an inclined upper face 12 so that p ,l

the car wheel may readily ride Athereover when said abutment 11 is released. The abut? ment 11, which is shown in detail in Fig. 6, has a head 13 which prevents it from being pulled ont of' the bridging member 4. itis also provided with a reduced portion 14. A spring 15- in a cavity 16 forces the abut-V ment 11 upwardly until the head 13 strikes the end otv the cavity. A removable closure 17 lis arranged 'at the bot-tom of the cavity 16. Slidable horizontally in a slot 18 in the member 4 is a latch 19 which isl pressed by a springv 20 and has a biturcated end portion comprising a narrow part 21 and a wider part 22l which have shoulders "23. When the latching member 19 is, in the position shown in Fig. 2, the shoulders 23 engage the shoulders of the reduced part 14 thereby locking the abutment 11 so that it cannot be pressed downwardly. This is the normal position of the parts. rEhe end oiE the latching member 19 projects beyond the end of Vthe bridging member 4 as shown at 24. Consequently when the bridging member has been moved forwardly to nearly the end of the cavity 3, the projecting end 24 engages the wall 3"i and pushes the latching member 19 inwardly against spring 20,there by disengaging the shoulder 23 from the part 14. The car wheel then depresses theabutment 11 and when the car has passed the crossing, the member is retracted by the springs 6. The cushion spring l0 cushions the return or' the member 4.

To enable the bridging member to be set to bridge the space between the rail ends when a car is backing over a crossing, I provide the devices shown in Figs. 3 and 5 comprising a rack 25 on the member 4, a pinion 26 on a shaft 27 mounted in a removable plate 28 and provided with a bevel gear 29. Journaled in a bracket 30 on the side of the rail is a shaft 3l which has a squared end 3l, and a removable locking pin or boltV 34' wh ich can be introduced through an opening 35 in the top of the casing 36 which is em'- ployed to house the parts. The same casing 36 may be used for the tivo bridging devices on tivo diiferent rails as shown in Fig. 1'; said casing is removable. Having turned the shaft 3l to advance the bridging member 4 until it strikes the Wall 3a, the latching member 19 is thereby released and consequently the abutment 11 will be depressed by the car Wheel. The pin 34 holds the abutment member in position and can be removed after the car has passed to permit the parts to resumethe position in Fig. 2.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. ina bridging device for crossings, the combination With a movable spring-retracted bridging member, of a depressible abutment carried thereby positioned to be engaged by the Wheel of a car going over -the crossing, and lmeans for normally locking saidde- Ypressible abutment, adapted to be released, to permit'depression of the abutment, when the bridging member hasl been moved to bridging position.

2. In a bridging device for crossings, the

combination With a movable spring-retracted bridging member, oi' a depressible abutment carried thereby, spring means for keeping said abutment normally elevated, and a spring-actuated locking device for the abutment which is arranged to be released from the abutment when the bridging member has assumed bridging position.

3. ln abridging device for crossings, the combination with a slidable bridging menv ber, of coil springs for holding said member normally retracted, a cushioning device for said bridging member Whenthe latter is in retracted position, an upwardly springpressed abutment carried by the bridging member, and a horizontally slidable springactuatedV latch adaptedfto normally engage v the abutment to lock it against depression', said latch having a projecting part adapted to be engaged by a part ot' the rail when the A bridging member has assumed bridging position, to thereby release the latch from the abutment so that the latter may be delpressed by the Wheel of the cargoing over the crossing.

4. In a bridging device for crossings, the combination With a movable bridging vmember adapted to be engaged by the Wheel of aV car going over the crossing to thereby arrange said member in bridging position,

andmanually operable means, adapted for operation independently of the caractuation of the bridging member, whereby said bridgingmember may be arranged in bridging position. Y

5. In a bridging'device for crossings,rthe combination with a movable bridgino' meinT ber adapted to be engaged by the wieel of a car going over the crossing to thereby arrange said member in bridging position,

and independent means yfor manually arranging the bridging member inV bridging position comprising a rack on the bridging member, a pinion carried by the rail and en gagingy the rack, operating means for Ythe pinion, and locking means for said operating means. Y

In testimony whereof, l hereunto aix my signature. V

GEORGE J. GIANNACOEOULS.-

copies of `this patent may be obtained. for ve cents each, by addressing' the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

